Game apparatus



July 14, 1925.

M. M. NEWTON GAME APPARATUS Fiied March 11, 1925 h l d/0Y2.

Marlo WITNESSES INVENTQR WI. JI/awtow X6.

' ATTORNEYS Patented July 14 1925.

' E TAT S PATENT OFFICE;

MERLE MELVIN nnw'ron; or COLORADO sranves, COLORADO, AssIeNoR r0 ALFRED osrnnnonr AND awnnnon CBAGIYN, BOTH or oononano srnmos, COLORADO.

p GAME APPARATUS,

a plication filed; March 11, 1925. Serial No. 14,795.

To all whom't vimiz conce'm I Be it known that I, MERLE M. NEwcroN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Colorado Springs,'in;the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have made certain newand useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following 18 a specification.

My present invention relates generally to game apparatus, and more particularly to a simple, inexpensive and amusingapparatus which requires skill, steady nerves and patience, and is calculated to stimulate all three, and a further object is theprovision of a game apparatus of the above type which may be made strong and of a durable nature. l r

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates my present invention and forms part of this specification Figure lis a top plan View show-ing the game board as proposed by my invention;

Figure'2 is a longitudinal section taken centrally th'erethrough, substantially on line 2-2 of Figurel;

Figure 3 is a'verticaltransverse section taken therethrough substantially on line 3--3 of Fig.1; and,

Figure 4 is a detailed view of one of the rolling pieces.

Referring now to these figures, and particularly. to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, my invention proposes a game apparatus including a game board generally indicated at 10, and preferably of the generally rectangular form shown, which'board may be made solid and substantial and is supported at its opposite ends upon transversely disposed rockers 11 and 1Q. The rocker 12 is of somewhat greater height than the rocker 11, and the game board is thus supported for laterally swinging or tilting movements, and inclined from one end to the other, the lower end being the starting end and the higher end being the finishing end.

Upon the surface of the game board between the raised end ledges 13 and 14, are arranged longitudinal rows of slightly angular and generally transverse upstanding ribs 15, the ribs of the several rows overlapping one another and forming between them approximately diamond-shaped receiving spaces 16. The ends of the several ribs are spaced from the adjacent ribs to form channels 17, communicating between the receiving spaces 16, although will be noted that in certain instances, as indicated at 18, the angular ribs of ad acent rows are connected to one another transversely of the game board, the connecting channels 17 be ing omitted at these points. ,7 v 7 As 1nd cated in Fig. 2, the receiving spaces 16 have their bases inclined ininverse relation to the inclination of the game board 10 and as seen particularly in Figures 1 and 3, the ribbed area of the game board, or more a particularly the playing surface of the game board has along its opposite sides lengthwise gutters 19, which are sufficiently; deep and sufficiently well defined to prevent a playing piece from ejection from either of the gutters after it has once fallen into the same in the ordinary playing of thegame.

With the game board as thus described, playing pieces are utilized, each of the spherical form indicated at 20in Figure a, so as to adapt the same to roll freely on the surface-of the game board along the ribs within the receiving spaces 16, and through the'connecting channels 17.

In playing the game, the game board is placed upon a level surface and thereafter during play its manipulation is limited to transverse rocking or tilting movements on the rockers 11 and 12.

- piece is placed at the lower por-. 'tion of the game board against the lower ledge 15 and it is the object to make this piece climb the surface of the game board toward the receiving end, or in other words against the upstanding ledge 14 into one of the receiving spaces immediately adjacent to this latter ledge. In such play, if properly and skillfully accomplished, the piece 20 is caused to roll along angular lines first in one direction and then in the other, climbing the surfaces of the ribs 15 in its tortuous upward path to the upper end of the board.

Iii-the course of this movement, hazards are that the-"rockerscllAand-12'not only act to upward movement of the playing piece, the r-beingi higher at .one end -than at the. other upper reeeiv-ingend of the board will finally and its:surfaeeprowidedzwith longibe reached, and the desired end thus.utudinalmrows of angular ribs upstanding achieved. v therefrom and disposed in generally trans- Thejupper and lower upstanding ledges verse overlapping relatiom saidribs form--- v 13 andl'm'ay if desired be provided with ingbetW'een-the'm receivin'g spaces' 'fOl-"tlle small counters as indicated at 2l,and.,other rollingn, ieces and having the ends thereof means may be employed to further the con spaced "om adjacent ribs to form connectvenience of those engaged in play. ing ghannelsbetyveen said receiving spaces,

It is obvious that the game board as deand said board also having lengthwise gutscribedzmay be madestrong ,811d150ftlilfiSt-WTIZGTS at the opposite-sidesofits ribbed-areal. 1' ing. or durable .nature,andi itis possiblerfori and; having} certain of the ribs; c f adja'cent thiszpurposeu to constructithe wsameixfromia rowsuconnected to one l anotheri across theysingle piece *of materialwith its ;surface.nspaces between .-the; row,s whereby -to elimie Q suitably. grooved, recessed.crindented. to .natethe connecting channels atsuch points v form the ribs 15 receiving-spaces lfiiand1 and form; additional bazar'ds in the 1n0ve',; connectingichannels 17. It isalsoeobviousi ment of the roll ingpiecesw v 3. A game including a laterallygtiltable. o support thegameboardin lateral swingableboard inclined endyy ise and having -upon its, or tiltable relation andslongitudinally iiIl: surface lengthvvi se rovvs;,of generally transclinedrposition but theseirockers also cona; verse aipstanding ribs of-angul -,l 1'1 ;a','sail stitute supportingaor reinforcing cleats form, ribs formingbetweemthen ce vinghs pa ces the gameboard, across the lower portion,,, and channels connecting; spapes, and gof theendsof whichltheyeareiconnectedl 1 sphericalplaying;pieces forg-grolling move .1 I I claim I n1ent.,along;the ribsginto saicl spaces and I 1. A gameincluding -a gameeboa-rdsand throughsaid channels said ribs being diS rollingpieces, the board havingrockersiandg'i,posed in closely spaced and regularly over- 1 being swingable onsaid rockers ina trans;aelappingarelation' whereby-jthe playingpieces versedirectionxvith; respectr torthe lllDQnQ may be caused to travel upXyard-ly, on ithe fl movement of pieces :onthe board-,said board, board by lateral tilting the board being higher atoneend than allytheiOtllelln; 4. A ga neg -including a laterally tiltable and having, its surface provided with .longi: iboardinclinedgendwise andhavingupon its tudinal, rows of angular ,ribs upstandingasurface lengthyise-frowsof generally tran se therefrom and disposedein generallylransr verse;upstanding;ribs-jot: angular plform and eo verse overlapping rrelation,;-;said;ribs form- -;;disposed in overlapping relation saidribs, ing between thenrrecei-ving spacesfforythe formingbetween them receiving -spaces,and rolling pieces; and .having the? endsthereof5 channels connectin g said 1sp e ,;,sphe 9 1 spaced fromradjacentsribs to form 'conneet zrplaying pieces for rolling nnovement along ing channels between said,receivingyspaces the ribsinto said spaees and; thrpugh said and said board also havingalengthwise qgutchannels, said game board also having-alongv ters-atthe oppositesidesof its. ribbedjarea}, the. opposit sides ofits; ribbed surface gut; 2. A gainerincludingrya-cgame boardand3iters to,receive the playing;p ieces the gut; rolling pieces,therboardhavingi rockers!andii vtersebeingof rsuflicient depth to, avoicl disbeing swingable on said rockersiin artrans-V placement oi playingpieces therefrom by Q0 verse direction zwithrespect to thegline of tilting,gnovementspf theboaud. Q movement of pieces on theboa-rd, said gboard ME RLE MELWIN NEMZIQN 1 

